Babar Azam, who made the debut in 2015, is now the mainstay of the Pakistan cricket team. He was given added responsibility last month after being handed over the captaincy of the Green Army in ODIs. Last year, he was given T20I captaincy after Sarfaraz Ahmed was snubbed from the team. Within the short period of his career, he has reached such great heights.
Babar Azam’s name is always heard whenever there is a discussion regarding the great batsmen of the modern era. His shot selection and batting technique are compared with the like of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith. Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting had also said that the best is yet to come from Babar.
While talking to renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, Babar shared his various experience since he donned the green jersey. Bhogle also asked him to associate five shots with their respective batsmen.
Babar Azam, who is himself reckoned to play drives, associated India skipper Kohli with playing the best cover drive while associating flick shots with India’s limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma.
For straight drives, Babar named Australia’s great cricketer Steve Smith, who is famous for playing unorthodox shots. He associated New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson for backfoot punch while for hook and pull-shot, and he named the former Proteas players AB de Villiers, who is called Mr. 360 for collecting runs from every nook and corner.
Cover Drive: Virat Kohli
Backfoot Punch: Kane Williamson
Flick: Rohit Sharma
Straight Drive: Steve Smith
Hook/Pull: AB de Villiers
Meanwhile, Babar Azam will tour to England next month to play three-match Test and T20I series. Although the series is scheduled in August, the Pakistan cricket team will tour the UK in July to follow quarantine. The 25 players will travel through charted plans and will have to follow safety guidelines.